Not far from the oppidum of Villeneuve-Saint-Germain and from the town of Soissons, the site at “Les Etomelles” was sporadically occupied during the Mesolithic, then more or less permanently during Iron Age 2 and Antiquity. The place was at first devoted to storage, as attested by a cluster of some 60 silos (La Tène B/C), unevenly distributed over a surface of one hectare. Later (La Tène C1) a small necropolis was established, consisting of three graves of rather high social rank, on the periphery of the group of silos. During La Tène D1, a dwelling was established, the occupation of which was to last for about a century without major modifications. Its organization is rather classic, apart from the singular presence of wells and of a monumental ditch, wide and deep, which does not enclose the site, but seems rather to be the very heart of it. Between the years 50 BC and 50 AD, activity on the site was much reduced and/or had moved away from the excavated zone. When, during the second half of the first century AD, the site began to expand once more, the Gallic settlement was no longer visible in the landscape, the ditches having been refilled. This new dwelling was to be in use for more than three centuries, up to the beginning of the 4th century, with several phases of redevelopment.

Traduction : Margaret & Jean-louis CADOUX